MSU Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast Series kicks off seventh season March 21, 2024

Phil Kaatz<kaatz@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension - February 29, 2024

The weekly online program provides timely, relevant information to keep field crop farmers and consultants up to date with rapidly changing crop conditions, pests, diseases and environmental conditions during the growing season.

The Michigan State University Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast Series will kick off its seventh season on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Each week during the growing season, Michigan State University (MSU) field crops specialists and Extension educators collaborate to provide a quick, on-point update on current weather conditions, crop conditions and emerging pest issues. In addition, producers and agribusiness professionals will receive the latest crop production research recommendations to help increase yield and improve crop efficiency leading to revenue savings.

The MSU Extension Virtual Breakfast Series is live via Zoom every Thursday morning from 7 – 8 a.m., March 21 through Sept. 19. Topics are flexible and loosely established at the beginning of the season and can change to address rapidly changing concerns such as flooding and drought. Each year brings different challenges, and this series is designed to meet the needs of our field crop producers no matter what the conditions may dictate.

Each week, restricted-use pesticide recertification (RUP) credits and certified crop advisor (CCA) continuing education unit credits will also be available. To receive recertification credits, participants must be on the live Zoom session.

After RUP and CCA credit information, attendees can leave or stay on for a less formal Q&A discussion with farmers, educators and specialists that lasts until 8 a.m. In addition to the scheduled speaker for the day, other MSU Extension campus specialists and educators with field crops responsibility are frequently part of the call and are available to answer any question related to relevant circumstances happening in their area of expertise.

Participants must sign up to receive an email notification with instructions for joining the Virtual Breakfast Series. You only need to do this once to receive the Zoom link and call-in phone number in the weekly email reminders that are sent every Wednesday and Thursday. Participants receiving emails can opt in or out at any time.

Sign up to receive Virtual Breakfast Zoom information

Participating is easy and free! You can join the live meeting via Zoom using a computer, tablet, mobile device or regular phone line. If you are new to Zoom, simply download the Zoom app and you will be ready to join online every week to see visuals shared by presenters. A call-in by phone option is also available but note that you will only hear the audio portion.

Schedule

7:00 – 7:15 a.m. Scheduled topic by MSU Extension specialists and educators
7:15 – 7:30 a.m. Weather with Jeff Andresen
7:30 – 7:35 a.m. RUP and CCA credits
7:35 – 8:00 a.m. Q&A with MSU Extension specialists and educators

Scheduled topics by date

March 21 – Early Weeds Management
March 28 – Repairing Damaged Fields
April 4 – Wheat Conditions
April 11 – Soil Fertility
April 18 – Optimizing Planting Decisions
April 25 – Conservation Practices
May 2 – Staging Crop Growth Stages
May 9 – Managing Corn and N After Waterlogging
May 16 – Post Weed Control Management
May 23 – Dry Bean Planting Options
May 30 – Wheat Fungicide Recommendations
June 6 – Sprayer Setup
June 13 – Irrigation Management
June 20 – Cercospora for Sugarbeets
June 27 – Insect Update Beneficials & Corn Borer
July 4 – Off
July 11 – Wild Weather for Hay
July 18 – White Mold - Tar Spot Spraying – Will it Pay?
July 25 – Hot Topics Q&A Session
Aug. 1 – Cover Crops After Wheat
Aug. 8 – MSU Diagnostic Lab Topics
Aug. 15 – Field Crops Nematode Update
Aug. 22 – Lime Recommendations for Field Crops
Aug. 29 – Maximizing Wheat Yield Potential
Sept. 5 – Saturated Buffers - A Two for One
Sept. 12 – Grain Marketing
Sept. 19 – Late Season Weed Control

If you cannot participate in the live session at 7 a.m., you can view the recorded version at any time. However, only the live session will be eligible for RUP and CCA credits. Recordings will be closed-captioned and available at the Field Crops Virtual Breakfast webpage and the MSU Extension field crops team social media platforms: Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Twitter.

If you are unable to sign up online, call the Lapeer County MSU Extension office at 810-667-0341.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

MSU Extension Field Crops